


When The Party's Over

by DarchangelSkye



Category: Canadian Idol RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Friendship/Love, M/M, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, Party, Present Tense, Wordcount: 100-2.000, written in 2005
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-17
Updated: 2010-08-17
Packaged: 2017-10-11 03:28:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/107845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarchangelSkye/pseuds/DarchangelSkye





	When The Party's Over

The music is loud, the lights are flashing, and the room is packed. There's Idols, reporters, the Canadian Who's Who, fans, and friends and family of said Idols far as the eye can see, but Jon's only looking for one person.

"Now where did he go?..." He scans his eyes across the room, over the table where reporters are talking with this year's Top Ten, over the dance floor where he sees some of last year's bunch having fun like old times, over...

Over to the corner where he sees the familiar flash of a black cuff, even in this room.

Jon cuts his way through the crowd quick as he can. "'Cuse me...pardon me...coming through...nice to see you...h'or deurve? Don't mind if I do...how's it going?...whoops, sorry Gary, didn't see you there...excuse me..."

He finally makes it to the corner where he sees a hiding Ben, still in his suit from tonight, and now smearing something on his lips. He goes for his usual method of approach- popping up behind the shoulders.

"Ooh, can I have some?"

Ben looks over to see him, rolls his eyes in his "oh, it's you" expression, and caps the chapstick. "You don't want what I have, Jon."

There's about three different ways to interpret that sentence, two of them piggish. Jon goes for a middle ground. "I'll risk it," he says, plucking the stick from Ben's hand and discreetly kissing his cheek. Ben just rolls his eyes again and slips a hand into the other man's pocket. "What are you doing all the way over here? Don't you want to join the party?"

Ben shakes his head. "Nah. This isn't my time now, it's all Kalan's. And besides-" he stretches his free arm and puts his hand on the back of his neck, "I've been in front of that camera twenty-four-seven for what, six months? I need some alone time."

"Oh, _I_ get it," Jon says in defeat and pulls himself away from the other man, but Ben's hand is still in his pocket.

"Jon- Jon, I didn't mean that, you crazy monkey. You can stay," Ben says and pulls on Jon's pocket to draw him near.

He sighs again, this time in contentment and wraps his arms around Ben's shoulders. "Another season, another Idol," he says after some silence, watching Kalan and Shane laugh it up over something at their table, then turning his gaze to the dance floor where Ryan's demonstrating his lack of coordination.

"Another six months to relax, then it starts all over again," Ben concurs. He slides his hand from the pocket to have it join the grasp Jon has on his shoulders. "But, y'know...I don't think any season from now on could be better than this."

"Real-ly?" Jon raises his eyebrows and lets a hand start creeping down Ben's arm, to which the other man laughs and playfully shoos it away.

"I mean, think about it," he continues after his giggles subside. "No offense to Ryan and the others, but we really found some amazing talent this year. It's like Canada decided this was the real deal and gave us the best. You think?" he finishes, turning his gaze to Jon.

"Actually," Jon answers in that cheeky wait-for-the-punchline tone of his, "I was thinking more along the lines of...other stuff." He puts his head on Ben's shoulder. "Didn't we have alot more fun than last year- sandwich incident notwithstanding maybe?" Ben smirks and chuckles softly at that line, and lets his hand drop from Jon's to slide in the pocket again.

"They sure let you get away with a lot more crazy stuff this year, I'll give you that." He shakes his head, another chuckle. "All those skits you put the kids through, oh man!"

"Nahh, I liked our skits better," Jon laughs and squeezes Ben's shoulder, "even if you one-upped me half the time."

"What are you talking about, I _always_ one-up you," Ben answers matter-of-factly, laughing at whatever may be implied. "Next time we snowball fight-" he lightly taps Jon's nose- "you're going down," he finishes with a smile.

All Jon can do is keep smiling and keep holding on.

He looks back over the room, seeing everybody who no doubt knows what they're going to be doing afterwards- which only reminds him of what's been nagging him all week.

It's enough to bring his mood down.

"I guess you'll be going back to E-Talk after the hub-bub dies down?" Jon asks, "While I have to see what second-rate Yuk-Yuks club will take me," he finishes with an air of casual resignation.

Ben shifts his eyes in the expression he gets when it's serious business. "You don't have to be like that. I can find a spot open for you at E-Talk, no problem."

"Oh, don't go to all that trouble just for little ol' me," the other man dramatically invokes, remembering to take Ben's hand from his pocket before pulling away again.

A sigh. "Jon, quit playing the martyr, that's not you. Is something wrong?"

Jon turns back, and the other man's expression is still serious.

Best to get what he's been considering out of his system now.

Better not to wait.

"I figured it'd be best I stayed out of your hair after tonight. You're probably sick of me by now and I can't blame you," it all spills out at once- something Jon instantly regrets, judging by the expression still etched on Ben's face.

_Congratulations, Dore,_ he uncharacteristically chides himself, _now you really look like an idiot._

It seems like forever before Ben answers with a quiet "What made you think that?"

"...Too much of a good thing?" Jon tries, but even he knows that's pathetic, so he goes for a "Seriously, Ben, I don't want to be in your way all the time. I know you've got a life outside of me and Idol and I just thought..." He shrugs, Ben's expression hasn't changed. "After tonight I'd let you get your life, that's all."

He sighs and readies to step away, but Ben grabs onto his sleeve.

_Okayyy, where's this going?_

The other man's expression turns to a lopsided grin. "Jon, you monkey, you _are_ a part of my life! You're a big part of what makes the shows so fun and me happy to work there. Don't you think if I was sick of you by now I would've said something?"

"Seriously?" Jon raises an eyebrow.

"Seriously. And besides..."

"Yeah?"

"You know when you said, uh, well..." He bites his lip briefly, looks to the sides (a gesture leaving Jon the one confused), then turns back to be almost looking at his feet. He meekly points a finger at Jon, traces a small heart in the air, then points back to himself.

"What about it?" the other man asks, feeling like he's stepped into one of his skits without being consulted. Still looking down, Ben taps near his heart, kisses his fingertips, and traces the shape and points at Jon again.

A lopsided smile in response. It's about the closest Ben can get to saying it aloud in a non-skit, no-kidding-around situation, and it's perfectly fine. "Thanks."

Jon steps forward to wrap his arms around Ben's shoulders, even tighter than on stage. The other man chuckles once more and eventually returns the hug. "I'll remember these too," he murmurs.

"Hmm." Jon pulls away and playfully flicks Ben's cheek. "What say we go join the party now, huh?"


End file.
